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SpaceX launches starship Mega-Rocket and catches its booster in midair on first try.
(www.smithsonianmag.com)
this post was submitted on 15 Oct 2024
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I could be mistaken on this: don't they get just one try?
It wasn't the first starship launch but it was the first where they tried to land onto the chopsticks. Last time I believe they simulated the same thing but landed in the ocean instead. They did get just one try with this particular rocket since if it was unsuccesfull the rocket would now be in a million pieces.
They could have tried again with another booster and landing pad.
The landing pad wasn't really at risk. If they had hit it it would have been relatively low speed, by the time it was at the catch attempt it was at like 30 km/h or something. Hitting a big steel object at that speed would have probably done more damage to the booster than anything else
Trying again doesn't necessarily mean trying again right away.
I think you've got too many zeros on your price estimate, no? The tower is huge, but there's no way it costs five hundred million dollars.
Are you including the R&D costs? Best estimates I've seen for a mechzilla put labour and materials between 65-95 million USD
For that particular booster, sure. For boosters in general, not really.